Key result
A young female patient with refractory torsade de pointes due to polypharmacy and vomiting survived after receiving more than 300 defibrillation shocks over 5 days and remains alive 12 years later.
Case Report (n=1)
This case demonstrates that survival with good long-term outcomes is possible even after requiring more than 300 defibrillation shocks for refractory torsade de pointes.
Alerts clinicians to refractory drug-induced TdP risks; leaves open optimal non-pharmacologic strategies in young patients.
Acquired torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia (TdP) is a rare but serious life-threatening arrhythmia caused by an array of cardiac and non-cardiac drugs. It is often refractory to pharmacological therapy and may result in death or require frequent defibrillations. In our case study a young female patient with no underlying heart disease developed very frequent sustained TdP requiring frequent defibrillations without which she would have certainly died. The ventricular arrhythmia in this patient was of multifactorial origin - cisapride, drug-drug interaction and persistent vomiting resulting in electrolyte disturbance and malnutrition. The patient survived after more than 300 defibrillation shocks over a period of 5 days and she is still alive 12 years later.
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Hussain et al. (2010) conducted a case report in Acquired torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia (TdP) (n=1). Defibrillation shocks was evaluated on Survival. A young female patient with refractory torsade de pointes due to polypharmacy and vomiting survived after receiving more than 300 defibrillation shocks over 5 days and remains alive 12 years later.
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